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Thursday, May 12, 2016

2 Christians Tortured by Pakistan Police

Persecution of Christians continues in Pakistan. This time
it wasn’t a Muslim mob crazed over the ludicrous Islamic practice for punishing
those who blaspheme their false Prophet Mohammed, Islam and/or their false
deity Allah. This time it has become public knowledge that some Lahore
policemen brought in two Christians for questioning over an alleged crime. The
crime is ill-described by news outlets reporting on the incident. BUT of not
the police interrogation included brutal torture of the Christian men Faraz
Masih and Doya Masih.

An Urdu language broadcast from the
Pakistan news outlet called Express News shows stealth taken photos of
Pakistani-Christians Faraz Masih and Doya Masih being tortured at the Shalimaar
police Station in the city of Lahore.

The LEAD article I’m cross posting calls the accused crime
as being to “defraud”. The Nation
reports the accused crime was mugging:

LAHORE: Two members of the country’s Christian community are
battling for life in a private clinic after undergoing police brutalities for a
couple of days in Lahore’s Shalimar police station.

Thirty-year-old Faraz Masih and
forty-year-old Doya Masih were picked up by the investigation wing of the
Shalimar police station in connection with a mugging case last week.

A close relative of the suspects
visited the police station and covertly took pictures of the suspects, which
would send chills of horror down the spine of any sane person. When the man
shared the gruesome photos with crime reporters, the issue came into the notice
of the senior police officers. …

…

The family members paid several
visits to the police station and met the victims only after paying bribe to the
lower subordinates. A relative of one of the suspects today told The Nation
that when they fell unconscious in the police lock-up, the suspects were
shifted to a private clinic by the policemen.

“The police investigators applied
third degree torture methods during interrogation. They were demanding one
hundred thousand rupees for the release of the suspects. The poor families were
unable to pay the bribe,” said the frightened relative while requesting
anonymity.

…

“They were paraded naked, thrashed,
punched, and kicked on their private parts. Their hands and feet were tied to a
charpoy and they were tortured brutally in upside down position. The policemen
also threw salt and pepper on the victim’s injuries to force them to confess to
the robberies (whether they had committed or not)”.

The police during interrogation
uses multiple methods of torture to extort cash and information from crime
suspects. Although the police are asked to use scientific methods of
investigations yet the suspects are tortured by police to force them to confess
the crimes.

Interestingly, the police in the
Punjab province are paid bribe for both purposes – to torture and not to
torture the suspects. The policemen are bribed to avoid torture on suspects
belonging to rich and influential families while the poor are subjected to
severe torture to get bribe.

The Nation updated
the above with a bit of an editorial on May 11 entitled, “Police Brutality”.

Since I began this post with a Youtube video of the tortured
victims from Express News, here is
the English translation of the Urdu language report (note Google Translate couldn’t figure a couple of words):

Lahore: are hanging 2
Shalimar police station altka investigative personnel have brutally tortured
and News raised the issue of the police authorities took notice of the incident
were suspended 4.

Are according to Express News took
in Lahore Shalimar police arrest 6 days ago 2 people followed hanging them
upside down and tied to the bed, the two officials were targeted and inhuman
violence, investigative team members down unto them when both of them were
naked people chtrul and the condition being shifted to a nearby hospital.

LAHORE: Two Christian go through inhumane torture at
the hands of the Lahore police. In keeping with details, two men were booked by
the police under charges of defraud. While carrying out the investigations the
police hung one of the men upside down with a bunk and tortured him inhumanely.
The other was stripped naked and tortured.

The reprehensible incident took place in Lahore’ Shalimaar
police Station. The two men Faraaz and a Christian Doya Masih were hooked by
the police and underwent vicious torture without the FIR being filed. After the
news of the incident was aired, Superintendent Police Investigations, has
sacked four police personnel found involved in unleashing vicious torture on
the two captives.

On the other hand, the police tried to justify the abject
investigatory torture by claiming these captives have confessed to more than 12
instances of robbery. After the photos of the two captives became public, S.P.
Investigations took notice of the incident and issued orders of dismissal of
Hammad Butt - In charge of investigations, ASI Tariq, Constable Sadiq and Arif.

Sardar Mushtaq Gill, human rights Defender who heads LEAD
strongly condemns the barbarically torture of the police on two
Christians as they refused to confess the crime they did not commit. Police
in Pakistan have been known to torture suspects, especially if they are
Christians, to obtain confessions in the crime they do not
commit.

Mr. Sardar Mushtaq Gill, Human Rights Defender, is a 34-year-old
law graduate from Lahore Punjab University, Pakistan. He is married and has
four children. He runs the LEAD organisation.

The protection and promotion of the right to freedom of
religion and belief constitute the core work of LEAD; to educate and teach and
to create awareness of this precious right. The main problem in Pakistan is
religious intolerance and discrimination which affect religious minorities and
create in them the feelings of insecurity of life and property.

We hold seminars and workshops among students and
teachers of different schools and educational institutions to discourage
violence and to promote respect of faith in Pakistan.

We approach authorities to end discrimination and promote
harmony among those who possess different faith. We also provide free legal
assistance to those who are victims of religious and sectarian violence and
victims of discriminatory laws of land without difference of faith and creed.

Sardar Mushtaq Gill, Advocate High Courts, is the Chief
Counsel of LEAD, it focuses on discriminatory and constitutional law. It is as
a non-profit organisation does not charge for its services. Its women Rights
Chapter is being run by Farzana Imran (WHRD) who is head of women Chapter.

ABOUT LEAD

LEAD- (Legal Evangelical Association Development) is an
organisation, a REGISTERED relief, development, advocacy and Free
legal aid organization dedicated to working with children, families, communities,
Churches and different denominations to overcome poverty and injustice. As
followers of Jesus Christ, we are motivated by God's love to serve
all people regardless of race, religion, denomination, gender or
ethnicity.